Professional Development in the PCSB was first delivered through face to face classes. Teachers signed up for classes and went to the different classes where they met for training. The teachers completed assignments and where graded by the instructors. The content was designed specifically for teachers in the district. After the course was completed the instructors posted the points needed and the teachers could use these points for certification purposes.
About 2007 the county moved toward a CMS using Blackboard. The content is developed and managed by Polk County School Board trainers. This content usually entails readings and reflections through discussion boards. Students can only interact with students within the class. Points for certification are assigned by the instructor. Teachers within the PCSB can use blackboard to design content for classes to use with their students along with face to face classes. The teacher manages the content and assigns grades. Before teachers can use this system they have to take a Blackboard classes and adhere to the Best Practices developed by the District.
In 2009 the district moved to a LMS called PD 360. This is a professional development site managed by the company. It offers classes for teachers nationally. These classes are developed by the company for the education community. These classes can be General Education, State specific, district specific and even school specific. Our school selects which courses they want their teachers to take. The teachers however can interact with teachers across the nation through Professional Learning Communities through discussion boards. These classes can be retake if the need arises. The personnel designated to managed class activity, in our case our Assistant Principal, logs in to the management site to determine if coursework is completed. They then post points to our Human Resource department for certification purposes.
Our school district uses a combination of these platforms to deliver professional development throughout the district.
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing your experiences with your district's LMS strategies.
Post a Comment